Trauma

Trauma & PTSD Therapy for Adults

You’re not broken. You’re responding to something that was too much, too soon, or too often.

Trauma isn’t just what happened to you, it’s how your body and mind learned to protect you in the aftermath. Maybe you don’t even call it trauma, just this low hum of not-quite-okay. Maybe you feel constantly on edge, or like you’ve gone emotionally numb. Perhaps you’ve been carrying things for so long that it’s hard to imagine what life would be like without them.

Trauma can leave us feeling stuck in the past, like the event is still happening, or like the world isn’t quite safe anymore. You might be finding it hard to relax, trust others, or even trust yourself. Maybe memories are showing up when you least expect them, or you’re avoiding certain people, places, or situations without fully understanding why.

These are all very human responses to overwhelming experiences. You are not “too sensitive” or “overreacting.” You are adapting, surviving, protecting yourself. But survival mode isn’t meant to last forever, and that’s where therapy can help.

What Trauma Can Look Like

There’s no one way to be impacted by trauma, especially when it’s been ongoing or relational. You might be navigating:

  • Complex trauma (C-PTSD) from childhood, family dynamics, or emotional neglect

  • PTSD following a specific event or ongoing situation

  • Flashbacks, panic, nightmares, or dissociation

  • A deep mistrust of others or yourself

  • Hypervigilance, people-pleasing, or intense emotional responses

  • Feeling numb, checked out, or “like a robot”

  • A confusing blend of grief, anger, shame, and guilt

  • Struggles with intimacy, boundaries, or self-worth

How Therapy Helps

Healing from trauma isn’t about digging everything up at once. It’s about creating enough safety, internally and externally, that you can begin to feel present in your own life again.

In our work together, we’ll start by building the foundations: feeling grounded, stabilised, and connected. You’ll learn ways to manage distressing emotions and memories, calm your nervous system, and gently explore what’s been hard, on your terms.

Some of the things we might work on together:

  • Understanding and calming trauma responses like hypervigilance, dissociation, or emotional numbness

  • Healing from childhood trauma, relationship violence, or sexual assault

  • Processing traumatic grief or medical trauma

  • Reclaiming a sense of safety and trust in your body, relationships, or environment

  • Making sense of experiences that have never felt fully acknowledged or witnessed

  • Undoing shame, self-blame, or survival-based beliefs like “I’m not safe,” “I can’t trust anyone,” or “It was my fault”

There’s no pressure to “tell the whole story” unless that feels right for you. You get to lead the pace. My role is to support you with care, curiosity, and evidence-based tools, without judgment or rush.

 FAQs

  • Not at all. You’re welcome here whether you have a formal diagnosis, suspect past trauma might be affecting you, or simply want to explore some difficult experiences. Many people carry trauma responses without ever receiving a diagnosis. If something feels unresolved, overwhelming, or like it’s still impacting your life, it’s valid.

  • I support people with a wide range of experiences, including:

    • PTSD and Complex PTSD (C-PTSD)

    • Childhood abuse, neglect, or emotional invalidation

    • Sexual assault or interpersonal trauma

    • Identity-based trauma (e.g., related to gender, sexuality, racism, neurodivergence)

    • Medical or birth trauma

    • Dissociation, flashbacks, or feeling “stuck” in the past

    You’re welcome here whether your trauma is clear and named, or vague and hard to articulate. Whether you’ve told the story before, or never spoken about it at all. Whether you’re newly seeking help, or returning to this work after time away.

  • This is incredibly common. Trauma can affect memory in complex ways, especially if it happened in childhood or over a long period. You don’t need to have a clear timeline or detailed recollection to begin healing. We can work with how the trauma is showing up in your body, emotions, and relationships now.

  • Yes. I often work with autistic adults who have experienced trauma from being misunderstood, misdiagnosed, excluded, or constantly pressured to “act neurotypical.” This can be especially complex when it overlaps with relational trauma, school or workplace harm, or identity suppression.

    Together we can unpack these experiences, explore unmasking safely, and help you reconnect with parts of yourself that may have been hidden or protected for a long time.

  • Yes. As a queer-affirming and trans-affirming therapist, I deeply respect how trauma can be shaped by your identity, especially when you’ve faced rejection, discrimination, invalidation, or violence.

    You won’t need to explain the basics of gender or sexuality here. Whether you’ve experienced trauma within queer or trans communities, in healthcare settings, or from family and systems that didn’t see you, you deserve support that honours your full identity.

  • That’s okay. It can take time to find the right psychologist or approach. If you’ve had unhelpful or even harmful experiences in past therapy, it makes sense to feel hesitant. In our work, we’ll go at your pace and collaborate openly so that you feel supported and in control of the process.

  • There’s no set timeline as everyone’s healing journey is different. Some people come for a few months, others for longer. We’ll regularly check in about what’s working and what you need. Whether you stay for a short season or a longer stretch, therapy is always your space, your pace.

  • You don’t need to feel 100% ready to start. Many people begin therapy while still feeling unsure, anxious, or overwhelmed. If there’s even a small part of you that’s curious about healing or wants something to change, that’s enough. We can start with a conversation and go from there.

Say Hello

Got questions, doubts, or a million tabs open? You’re welcome to get in touch.